Ajinkya Rahane offers advice to Sarfaraz Khan amid non-selection in India A squad

Former Indian cricketer Ajinkya Rahane has offered advice to the Indian middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan amid his non-selection in the India A squad for the upcoming South Africa A series.

Speaking exclusively to the Indian Express after the day’s play in the ongoing second round of the Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season against Chhattisgarh, Rahane stated that Sarfaraz shouldn’t get distracted or frustrated by repeated non-selections in the national team.

“The only thing I can tell him is don’t get distracted or frustrated. It is very easy to say but very hard to do. Just focus on your cricket and keep scoring runs. He has been doing that really well. As a player, when you go through this phase, it is challenging and tough, but keep your head down and control what you can,” Rahane told the Indian Express.

Rahane, who scored 159 runs off 303 balls with 21 fours against Chhattisgarh on Day 2 of the game, has also made it clear that he should’ve been part of the Indian Test team that lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy Down Under earlier this year.

“I thought an experienced player like me should get more chances. There was no communication. I was ready for the Australia series,” he noted.

“It is not about age. It is about intent, passion and how much effort you are willing to give for red-ball cricket. Experience matters. Look at Michael Hussey. He made his Test debut in his 30s and still scored plenty of runs,” he concluded. 

While Rahane made his Test comeback in the WTC 2023 Final against Australia at the Oval, he was later part of the two-match Test series against the West Indies. However, since then, he was excluded and wasn’t part of the plans for the selection committee.

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